The Assembly-appointed Art Selection Panel for the new high school in the Mendenhall Valley has selected five Alaskan artists to join the new high school design team. Artists from throughout Alaska and the Pacific Northwest were invited to send in their portfolios, resumes, and a statement about the artistic approach each artist felt was appropriate for Juneau's new high school. The Art Selection Panel goal was to create an "artistic team" that would work well with the architects and engineers to integrate their artwork into the building design.

From the very strong submittals received, the panel invited eight artists to participate in interviews prior to creating the final artistic team. The panel felt that the artists selected would need to have the experience and interest necessary to work in collaboration with other artists as well as with architects, engineers, and members of the Juneau community. They also felt that, through the CBJ Art in Public Places program, the panel should work to promote the development of artists and craftspeople. The panel wished not only to support established artists, but also to assist artists newly dedicated to bringing their art into public facilities.

The artists who have been invited to become the artistic team for the new high school are Mike Anderson of Cordova, Barbara Craver of Juneau, Dan DeRoux of Juneau, Wayne Price of Haines, and Sheila Wyne of Anchorage. The budget for artworks to be created by this team is $300,000. The artistic team will begin working with the design team in July and August. Examples of the work of these artists will be available for viewing at the CBJ web site. www.juneau.org/engineering/New_High_School/Page_1.php